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Deceptive Calm is a historical novel that is set in the 1960’s in Charleston, South Carolina it seems from the introduction into the book. A fair skinned “black” child is left at the door of an orphanage in the black portion of Charleston, South Carolina . A novice nun finds the small infant in a cardboard box and raises her in the orphanage with several other children. Although at the time of the main read Vanessa is the oldest of the children. She is also perceived to be “white” due to her fair skin and silky black hair.
This is set in a time when segregation was highly influenced and if you were noted to be affiliated with the black community then you were a “negro lover” and punished just as harshly as if you were black. As most young women do Vanessa fell in love with a guy in high school and just never could quite get over him. This is not the main point of the read though so I will only touch on Vanessa’s love for Barry briefly. Things happened that were not “appropriate” for that particular era and Vanessa changed her entire life afterwards by taking the name of a deceased white infant by the name a Vanessa Vaughn and left South Carolina for the great state of California!
Then the story takes you through Vanessa and her best friend, Trisha’s ups and downs in their careers as women in that time period. Even through the hardships Vanessa found herself married to a White Supremacist of the wealthiest family in Los Angeles, California. Although at the time of the marriage she was unaware of how against the African Americans her husband and his family really were. He was a horrible man and she came to find out he was even worse than she ever expected. She fought his advances for months on end, but when she did finally give in and eventually married him, she saw a side of him that she was not happy about and in the end it could cost her and her child's their lives.
I will admit I wasn’t sure I could get into this read, at first the nun that raised Vanessa was a history buff and she provided lots of history to the children she taught. I am not a history buff nor do I enjoy history at all. Therefore, I was uncertain if I would enjoy the read, but I did! I loved it. There were a few errors in the book that took me off guard and the ending wasn’t as fulfilling as I would have liked but overall I feel the read was a solid 4 out 5 starts. I would recommend this read to anyone who loves history but also those that have a romantic interest as well. As I am an avid reader and reviewer of romance novels I was superbly impressed with the combination of true history and the romance side of this story. Amazing read!

Yes, to me, the book is an excellent read. It explains every aspect of the society. It is a great eyeopener.

This review of "Deceptive Calm" was such a breath of fresh air! I’ve seen so many reviews and comments that were quick to point out the poor editing and the abundance of suggestive themes in the book, which made me hesitant to pick it up. So, reading this review felt like a reassurance that the story itself is still worth diving into. It’s clear that despite the initial concerns with the historical elements, you ended up enjoying the book, even highlighting its enchanting cocktail of history and romance.

The way you connected with Vanessa’s character and her journey, despite not being a history buff, really stood out to me. It’s not often you find a review that acknowledges one's reluctance about a particular genre and still expresses genuine enthusiasm for how the story unfolded. That tells me there’s something more to this book than just the surface details. I look forward to completing it!

The theme of friendship is a theme that stood out for me. Vanessa and Trisha behave like sisters, with Trisha being more free-spirited than Vanessa, who is portrayed as a lady unconcerned about material things.

The book is really good as it shows us racism firsthand as well as exposing modern American history.

Hi
The book, Deceptive Calm, is a great read! The characters were well developed. The story line was excellent and clear to the reader. The historical events of the 1960's were accurate as well. The story has a powerful ending! I loved everything about the story in the book.